NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Manipur on a two-day visit on Thursday — her first trip to the state since taking office in July 2022, and also her first since the ethnic conflict erupted in May 2023.The President’s visit comes three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Manipur on September 13 — for the first time since the conflict broke out.
President Murmu’s engagements in ManipurAfter her arrival, President Murmu — only the second woman to hold India’s highest constitutional office — will attend a polo event organised by the state’s Youth Affairs and Sports Department at Mapal Kangjeibung in the capital, Imphal. Later, she is expected to offer prayers at the Shree Govindajee Temple. Her day will conclude with a civic reception at the City Convention Centre in Imphal.On Friday, President Murmu is likely to attend the annual Nupi Lan celebrations, followed by another programme in the Naga-majority Senapati district. Nupi Lan is observed each year to commemorate two historic women-led movements in 1904 and 1939 that protested British colonial policies.Militants call for shutdown; security beefed upSecurity has been heightened across Manipur as militant groups have called for a shutdown during the President’s visit. Normal life in the Imphal Valley was partially affected by a bandh imposed by the Coordination Committee (CorCom) — a conglomerate of banned outfits — from 1 am on Thursday until her departure. Markets and educational institutions remained closed, and vehicles largely stayed off the roads.Meanwhile, the Meitei organisation Arambai Tenggol (AT) urged President Murmu to address the plight of internally displaced persons and also called for the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state.More than 260 people have been killed, and thousands rendered homeless, in ethnic violence between the Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the hill-dwelling Kukis in since 2023.(With PTI inputs)
